I think you’re going by the English meaning of “conservative”.
The word is badly chosen, because I don’t think they really are traditionalists. Probably “capitalist” would be a better fit. And paradoxically there are many things I find the “progressives” want to do which are in fact regressive.
It’s a bit confusing and I think names should be changed to something else if it were up to me.
Words have power, and words like “progressive” and “woke” have positive connotations while “conservative” has negative connotation which is sad; they don’t even apply anymore to the groups or ideas they represent.
Yes, you’re right about the English definition - talking politics is difficult in a global forum because of these strange idiosyncrasies.
I do try to use the language flatly, avoiding emotive words where possible. It’s interesting you say that “woke” has positive connotations, as I think the Republican🇺🇲 and Conservative🇬🇧 crowds have been using that word as something approaching a slur!
When I say “conservatism” I am strictly referring to the definition in the dictionary or the wiki. I feel like the UK Tory party is definitely following a more anarcho-capitalist expression of the ideology, but their trans exclusionary rhetoric does have the air of “traditional” CoE values around it. In the states, the creeping in of a Christian flavoured version of Sharia law is an interesting development under a lib president, as I would consider this an expression of conservatism.
Personally, I think the connotations that the term conservatism has earned over the last hundred years are well earned, especially as the core values of conservatism seem to be somewhat nebulous. Ultimately we can only judge by the totally flawed implementation of the system that we have - just as we have judged Communism to be a totally unworkable and flawed system by studying the facist regimes of Russia and China as examples - despite the similarities between communism and what the USSR/CCP were/are being almost nil; though this is probably what you were driving at with your closing statement! 😅
I think you’re going by the English meaning of “conservative”. The word is badly chosen, because I don’t think they really are traditionalists. Probably “capitalist” would be a better fit. And paradoxically there are many things I find the “progressives” want to do which are in fact regressive. It’s a bit confusing and I think names should be changed to something else if it were up to me. Words have power, and words like “progressive” and “woke” have positive connotations while “conservative” has negative connotation which is sad; they don’t even apply anymore to the groups or ideas they represent.
Yes, you’re right about the English definition - talking politics is difficult in a global forum because of these strange idiosyncrasies.
I do try to use the language flatly, avoiding emotive words where possible. It’s interesting you say that “woke” has positive connotations, as I think the Republican🇺🇲 and Conservative🇬🇧 crowds have been using that word as something approaching a slur!
When I say “conservatism” I am strictly referring to the definition in the dictionary or the wiki. I feel like the UK Tory party is definitely following a more anarcho-capitalist expression of the ideology, but their trans exclusionary rhetoric does have the air of “traditional” CoE values around it. In the states, the creeping in of a Christian flavoured version of Sharia law is an interesting development under a lib president, as I would consider this an expression of conservatism.
Personally, I think the connotations that the term conservatism has earned over the last hundred years are well earned, especially as the core values of conservatism seem to be somewhat nebulous. Ultimately we can only judge by the totally flawed implementation of the system that we have - just as we have judged Communism to be a totally unworkable and flawed system by studying the facist regimes of Russia and China as examples - despite the similarities between communism and what the USSR/CCP were/are being almost nil; though this is probably what you were driving at with your closing statement! 😅